


A Stitch In Time Saves More Than Nine

by doritoarts



Category: Luigi's Mansion (Video Games)
Genre: AU Fic, Friendship, I made e gadd a lot nicer in this, Luigi is trans ok hope ya dont mind, Multi, Other, Trans Male Character, What-If, he also gets to take a relaxing shower, hes luigis grandpa ok, steward and chambrea r besties!!, the prolouge is dark but it gets better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doritoarts/pseuds/doritoarts
Summary: A what-if/au ficLuigi happens to encounter Steward before he's able to rescue E. Gadd and get the Poltergust, and for want of a nail, Luigi makes a new ally and manages to make his way through the hotel using friendship.
Relationships: Clemadeus, Dr. Potter/King Macfrights, Implied Luigi/Peasley/Morty, Luigi/Mamekku Ouji | Prince Peasley, Luigi/Morty (Luigi's Mansion)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 115





	1. Death Of A Bellhop

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!!!!! It's me, Megs :) 
> 
> If ur wondering what this is all about, basically luigi partners up with steward and befriends the boss ghosts instead of capturing them. This is the prolouge of that story, detailing Steward's death. If you're sensitive to the topic of heart attacks or just didn't want a dark story, I recommend you turn back. This fic will get quite angsty at times, so please come in prepared for that. With that all said and done, enjoy the prolouge!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You just have to get through this shift." He muttered to himself, rubbing his arm, which had started hurting out of nowhere along with his jaw just a few minutes ago. In fact, he'd been feeling incredibly ill, finding it hard to breathe, even. But, no matter how many times Steward reassured himself, there was that nagging voice in his head  
> (something bad is gonna happen something real bad this wont be good oh grambi oh grambi)  
> which had been there since he'd fallen ill. 
> 
> He tried to ignore it.
> 
> Keyword, tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!!!! It's me, Megs :)
> 
> If ur wondering what this is all about, basically luigi partners up with steward and befriends the boss ghosts instead of capturing them. This is the prolouge of that story, detailing Steward's death. If you're sensitive to the topic of heart attacks or just didn't want a dark story, I recommend you turn back. This fic will get quite angsty at times, so please come in prepared for that. With that all said and done, enjoy the prolouge!

"You just have to get through this shift." He muttered to himself, rubbing his arm, which had started hurting out of nowhere along with his jaw just a few minutes ago. In fact, he'd been feeling incredibly ill, finding it hard to breathe, even. But, no matter how many times Steward reassured himself, there was that nagging voice in his head  
(something bad is gonna happen something real bad this wont be good oh grambi oh grambi)  
which had been there since he'd fallen ill.

He tried to ignore it.

Keyword, tried.

As he went through the motions he'd have to stop occasionally, attempting to take a few deep breaths. It was something Chambrea noticed.

"Hey, Gately, you good?" She tilted her head, watching as he fumbled with luggage. Steward gave her a weak-looking thumbs up.

"I started feeling sick, but I'm good! I'll finish this shift up and then I can get some rest back at my dorm." He watched Chambrea nod at the response.

"Alright, I'll make sure to visit you if I get the chance. Might cook something if you want me to-"

"Oh, no! You really don't have to go through all the trouble, honest!" Steward cut her off, trying his best to keep a smile on his face. Chambrea nodded, returning to work. Steward did the same, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it of dizziness. He needed to deliver this luggage.

Steward stumbled into the elevator, pressing the button for floor 5, the VIP suites. He made his way out into the hall, feeling substantially worse than how he did speaking to Chambrea. He just needed to get through this shift, then he could go home.

He just... needed... needed to....... get........ through..........

The world went black.

\------

"Mmmnn..."

He stirred, opening his eyes. Well, trying to, at least. The once-tolerable lights of the hotel were now unusually bright to him, almost painfully so. He supposed he'd opt to keep his eyes closed, at least for now. Steward was fairly certain his condition worsened while he slept, his arm and jaw were both still sore, and on top of that, he'd presumably slept funny, as he couldn't feel his legs. Maybe he should end his shift early. He knew miss Gravely would understand. She certainly didn't want him working himself to death. Plus, he certainly didn't want to be seen lying on the floor. It was unprofessional.

It was when Steward tried and failed to move his legs he realized something was very, * _very_ * wrong.

His eyes shot open, shutting again quite hastily. Instead of being able to push himself up one knee after the other, steward found that both of his legs moved at once, as if they were connected. To top it off, they felt weightless. The sensation sent a chill up his spine, leaving a deep pit of unease in his gut and making him shudder. He could only describe it as discordant, knowing full well legs did not move like that unless one wanted them to.

What was going on?

He'd have to figure that out.

Getting a bit of leverage, Steward flipped himself onto his back, taking a second to breathe once he had finished, the movement made him feel woozy. Gingerly, he propped himself up into a sitting position and cradled his head in his hands. All this was giving him a headache and he couldn't wait to get back to his dorm room and sleep.

That's when he took a look at one of his hands and realized it was blue.

Steward yelped, attempting some kind of recoil, only to get that same awful feeling up his spine. "What the-?!" Where was that even coming from?! He brought his hands to the ground, hoping that a better look at his legs would answer the question. However, in place of legs, there was a long, slender blue tail.

He wanted to scream. Hell, he might have actually screamed, he wasn't sure. He was dazed and confused and he was so, so scared. His breath sharpened and he tried to inch himself backward as if that'd solve anything. That was when Steward caught witness of his own corpse, and the fact that had been looming over his head dropped like an anvil as if this were all some sick slapstick act.

Steward Gately was dead.

He froze completely. Tears burned his eyes like acid, slowly building up and falling down his face like polluted rain covering a dull, grey city. The liquid glowed faintly, but it's luminosity provided no comfort.

"No. No. No. No. This can't be happening. This is a dream. I'm gonna wake up fine. This isn't happening." His own words held nothing convincing in them. He was a ghost. It was honestly something quite disorienting, he should've been right there, where his body was, but that wasn't him. Not anymore. Looking at his corpse was like watching a car crash, it was awful, nauseating, even, but he just couldn't look away. Steward wished he could've lived longer, he was only nineteen.

The most surreal thing was Steward didn't actually believe in ghosts. They were long left behind childhood fears, things Steward hadn't thought about since grade six. But, he was one, and it scared him. He didn't really know why, though. Maybe it was best he didn't think about it.

He couldn't tell you how long was spent like that. Curled up, tail hugged to his chest, head down low and with tears flowing and flowing. In fact, he wasn't even sure what happened in the moments leading up to his demise. Steward was lost, alone, and most of all, terrified.

Nothing was certain anymore.


	2. Ooo, Shiny!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luigi pressed himself up to the window, an awed smile on his face. He could see the hotel through the window and it was every bit as wonderful as he hoped it'd be. Pristine white stone walls lined with glittering gold accents and pristine looking windows met his eyes, filling them with a look of childlike awe and wonder. It was a dazzling sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy! I'm comin in clutch with chapter one!!! This chapter introduces the chat app Eris, which will be seen at points throughout the story. As usernames come up, I'll put them in the notes! For now, its just nintendos best bros. 
> 
> Mario- YAHOO  
> Luigi- Stan Tourmaline
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy! Comments are appreciated!

It was a marvelous day outside. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and a bus driven by a literal child barreled down dirt roads, determined to reach its destination. Dust kicked up and trees swept in its wake, all thanks to one very eager little toad.

Sure, sure. Red could barely see above the wheel, but it certainly didn't stop him. In fact, he was doing better than the others thought. Both Mario and Blue said he was going to crash the bus. Boy, would he prove them wrong! He could make it all the way to the hotel with this bus intact, and he would!

Meanwhile, everyone contently did their thing. Mario and Peach chattered amongst each other, while Yellow read quietly, having borrowed a book from Blue, who was bouncing a baseball between his hands. Certainly, it was a peaceful sight, a bit like the eye of a storm. Of course, that didn't mean it was all smooth sailing, as a sharp turn hit by Red jostled Mario and Peach, and made Blue drop the ball he was fiddling with. Another bump in the road shortly after startled a certain green plumber awake. He looked around, worried, before concluding there wasn't any danger and letting out a yawn.

It was true that Luigi was a coward (though, he preferred the word cautious), but he didn't seem to mind. After all, it made him quick on his feet. Even if his poor intuition got him into bad situations, his alertness got him out of them. Of course, that didn't mean it was always a virtue. Soon after being jostled awake by the swerve of a bus, Luigi was startled by polterpup, who had popped out of his suitcase with a letter in its mouth. Luigi smiled at the spectral dog, gently tugging the letter from its mouth before giving it a pat on the head. He then decided it wouldn't hurt to read over the thing again.

 _"Congratulations, Luigi!_   
_You're the lucky winner of a free stay at a world-class hotel, The Last Resort!_

_We look forward to dazzling you with first-rate hospitality and service. Please be sure to invite any friends and family that you'd like to bring, as well! - Hellen Gravely"_

Luigi really couldn't help but smile at the letter, he certainly needed a vacation, so did the others. Being a hero was tough work, and dangerous, too, as he had the scars to prove. But, thanks to this hotel stay, he could let it all go for a bit. It felt liberating.

That's when he was brought out of his train of thought by Polterpup licking his face.

Luigi smiled at the dog as it nuzzled up to him. Putting away the letter, he returned the sentiment, giving Polterpup a tummy rub, "Aww, good boy!" This went on for a bit, before Polterpup yapped at something, prompting Luigi to look out the window, curious as to what was so interesting to the dog.

What he saw was positively breathtaking.

Luigi pressed himself up to the window, an awed smile on his face. He could see the hotel through the window and it was every bit as wonderful as he hoped it'd be. Pristine white stone walls lined with glittering gold accents and pristine looking windows met his eyes, filling them with a look of childlike awe and wonder. It was a dazzling sight.

Red swerved into the hotel grounds, grazing not only the gate but a small curb, before bringing the bus to a sudden stop. With a hiss, the door opened. "See, Mario? I told you I wouldn't crash!" He said, his face carrying nothing but pride. Mario simply nodded, relieved that the ride went as smooth as it did. Soon, he and Peach were leaving the bus, Yellow and Blue not far behind, carrying Peach's luggage. Red was next to leave the vehicle, accidentally tumbling right of it. He didn't seem to mind, though. Luigi left the vehicle soon after, yawning and stretching. Polterpup was last out, running a few circles around Luigi, and almost making him trip. Luigi sighed at his dog's antics, before starting toward the hotel, allowing him to get a good look at it.

"Wowie-zowie!"

This would be wonderful.

\------

Nervous, nervous, nervous, nervous. Steward was very nervous.

He drummed his fingers on the reception desk, sweat dripping down his face. He didn't even _have_ body heat, yet this stupid costume managed to make him overheated. He wanted to get this over with, to put the coat he was wearing back onto the pile of laundry and blankets he called a bed and to sleep a while. He couldn't wait for these guys to finally show up. What were their names again? Martin and Linguini? Probably not, but he didn't need to know or care, it wouldn't matter, they were gonna get caught in a trap, anyway.

Now, Steward didn't know the semantics of that, only that these people were dangerous and that having them out of the picture was a good thing. That wasn't here or there either. He remembered Ms. Gravely putting a lot of emphasis on the green one, apparently, he was a dangerous ghosthunter. The idea frightened Steward. He didn't know what exactly ghosthunters did, and he most certainly didn't want to find out. He sighed, "Grambi, I'm gonna burn alive in this thi-"

The door opened.

He watched through the pinpricks of his mask as the mortals filed in one by one, clearly in awe at the spectacle that was the hotel lobby. Steward could feel his nerves rising, this was it, now or never. His performance could make or break the ruse. All he had to do was act natural, make sure no one noticed how sweaty he was, and wait for them to check in.

He supposed he could do a bit of people watching while he waited.

Steward squinted to see the group a bit better. Ok, maybe with the mask he couldn't do people watching, but he could do people listening. So, he closed his eyes, tuning in to what they were saying, trying to pay special attention to the green one.

"Hey, bro! You excited for this? I mean, you did have that adventure all around the literal world, I think you deserve a vacation as nice as this!"

"You deserve it too, Weeg. You're one of the hardest working people I know, honest."

... Oh.

Steward couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. This was a tight-knit family, after all. And, the more he listened in, the worse he felt. This was just another group of people on a family vacation, like all the people he checked in when he was alive. No, he shouldn't care so much. These were the bad guys.

... Right?

There wasn't any time to dwell on that, someone was ringing the desk bell. Steward jolted at the noise, bouncing straight into action, "Welcome, guests, to The Last Resort! Are you ready to check in?"

The green guy nodded, "Sure am! Thank you, sir!" Steward had to admit, he was almost taken aback by the guy's politeness, he still wasn't used to guests being kind to him. Shaking off the surprise (and the guilt), Steward replied.

"Alright! You'll need to sign the guestbook, sir. Then, we'll get you settled in!" The green guy politely obliged. Luigi, huh? That was a nice name.

_'... Sorry, Luigi.'_

While Luigi rambled a bit about him and his family, Steward only felt guiltier. He could barely stand being there and listening.

... Hellen couldn't have come soon enough.

"Guests! Welcome to The Last Resort!"

\------

This was certainly the nicest hotel he'd ever been in.

Luigi let out a happy sigh, sitting on the bed and petting Polterpup. "See, boy? We're gonna have a great vacation! We just gotta wait for our luggage to arrive!" Almost as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. "That should be it." Luigi opened up the door, offering the bellhop holding his suitcase a friendly grin, "Thanks! Now, before you go, I need to do something." He rummaged in his pocket a bit, before handing the bellhop a bit of crumpled-up money. "A tip! It's not much, but it's what I've got on hand. Have a nice day, sir!" The bellhop nodded, before simply closing the door. Luigi smiled.  
  
He was real polite.

Luigi placed his suitcase on his bed, before taking his phone from his pocket. He had a few new messages on Eris, and from the looks of it, they were from Mario.

YAHOO: BRO THIS PLACE  
YAHOO: IS SO FANCY  
YAHOO: I CAN GET MULTIPLE PIZZAS ON THE HOUSE  
YAHOO: BEST VACATION EVER

Stan Tourmaline: You worry me, dear brother of mine

YAHOO: jdbdhd lmao  
YAHOO: Well maybe if you let me have the braincell more often this would not be a problem, Linguini.

Stan Tourmaline: >:O!!!!!  
Stan Tourmaline: I AM NO HUMBLE PASTA  
Stan Tourmaline: Anywho  
Stan Tourmaline: I'm gonna take a shower, I'll message you in a bit!

YAHOO: Okie Dokie  
YAHOO: Cya bro!!

Luigi smiled at his phone, before pocketing it again. It was always nice talking to Mario. He honestly didn't think he could have a better brother, Mario was the best he could ask for. Heroic, comedic, charismatic, Luigi would be lying if he said he didn't get a little jealous, but he cared about his brother far more than he envied him. Mario made for great family.

He sighed, opening up his suitcase and grabbing a set of pajamas and a bluetooth speaker. He had been waiting for this.

Luigi walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He placed his bluetooth speaker on a shelf, turning it on and connecting it to his phone. With a few clicks, his favorite song drifted through the air, putting him at ease.

_Sunflower, my eyes want you more than a melody_  
_Let me inside, wish I could get to know you_  
_Sunflowers sometimes keep it sweet in your memory_  
_I was just tongue-tied_

Luigi undid the straps of his overalls, leaving them on the floor, along with his sweater, boxers, and footwear. Before stepping into the shower he looked at himself in the mirror. He, being just as much of an adventurer as Mario, was littering with scars. However, there was one set from something unrelated to feats of daring-do and rescuing of friends and family in distress. He smiled fondly at the incision scars below his chest.

That top surgery was worth every penny.

_I don't wanna make you feel bad_  
_But I've been trying hard not to talk to you_  
_Sunflower (Sunflower, sunflower)_

Luigi stepped into the shower, the just-right water melting away every bit of tension in him. He was going to enjoy every minute of this, that was for sure. He went through the motions, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, making sure to drag them out just so he could really unwind. At one point, Luigi just sat down in the shower, knees hugged to his chest, enjoying the water and the music. Once he was finished, he turned off the tap, stepping out of the shower and drying himself off with a towel, paying special attention to his hair. (He wanted to make sure it'd be dry by the time he went to bed.) Then, he changed into his pajamas, finishing everything up by retrieving his phone and speaker. Luigi let out a yawn, opening Eris again.

Stan Tourmaline: Sorry to disappoint bro but I'm gonna head to bed  
Stan Tourmaline: Am Tired

YAHOO: Don't worry about it!!  
YAHOO: Buona notte!!

Stan Tourmaline: Buona notte

Luigi placed his things near his suitcase, yawning again. He turned to Polterpup, "I'm tuckered out, Lil' guy. Let's get to bed." With that, Luigi turned off the room's lights, crawling under covers and drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

He awoke to a scream.


	3. All That Glitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He jolted up, eyes wide with worry, "Peach?!" Why had she screamed? What was going on? He grabbed his flashlight from the end table, hand shaking, and turned it on.
> 
> ... This wasn't the room he woke up in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hey there! Its been a little over a month since i last updated, and i do apologize! ADHD is a pain in the ass. This chapter was originally going to be longer, as well! However, i decided to shorten it up. As i told my friend, 
> 
> "⚡Off topic but i think for ASITSMTN im gonna have finding gadd be itz own chapter bc i gotta Recharge but i alzo wanna keep my rea🅱️erz qwenched⚡"
> 
> So, yeah! Here y'all go! Please enjoy the new chapter, and remember to leave a comment! The feedback gives my feeble pea brain seratonin.

Luigi didn't think he'd be woken up by a scream of terror while trying to enjoy a nice vacation.

He jolted up, eyes wide with worry, "Peach?!" Why had she screamed? What was going on? He grabbed his flashlight from the end table, hand shaking, and turned it on.

... This wasn't the room he woke up in.

But, that didn't matter right now. What mattered were his friends. Were they safe? What happened? Luigi steeled his nerves and swung open the door, only to watch the illusion fade right before his very eyes.

Glimmering white walls and pristine marble faded to dingy, peeling wallpaper and wood in a flash of purple. His eyes followed the crumbling facade down the hall of the VIP suites, enraptured by it all. It might have been beautiful, in a way, if it weren't so utterly horrifying. Luigi wracked his brain for some kind of idea on what to do. If only E. Gadd were here... that's it! He'd get out of here and find E. Gadd! He just had to make his way to the elevator!

Luigi rushed down the hall. Well, he tried to, at least. Instead, tripping over a kink in the rug and landing flat on his face. He let out a groan of pain, attempting to get up. Once he finally stood and regained his bearings, the elevator dinged.

Just his luck.

He took a few steps forward, legs shaking. "One foot in front of the other, Luigi." He said to himself, "One foot in front of the other." Luigi finally stepped out to face the elevator, watching as Hellen exited. Something was wrong, though. She looked... different. She glowed faintly, and Luigi could see right through her. When she flew up to him, however, was when he put two and two together.

"Well well well! If it isn't my MOST esteemed VIP! I was just on my way to see you."

She was a ghost.

"Is your room living up to your expectations? Doesn't it just SCREAM good taste?"

Luigi wanted to scream himself. To bolt for the elevator and off into the night. But instead, he was petrified, and all that came out of his mouth were stammers. "Uhh... uhh..."

She continued, "Oh, I can barely contain myself. You have no idea how much I wanted you to accept my invitation! 'Why is that?' I'm sure you're wondering." Hellen chuckled, "Ha ha ha... you see... there is someone who has my utmost respect. He's helped me come up with some of my greatest ideas... like inviting you here! I'm very proud of him, that's why it's such an honor to introduce him to..." laughter once again punctuated her words. "YOU! That's right, Luigi! I hope you're ready!"

With a flourish, Hellen revealed Luigi's worst nightmare.

King Boo appeared before the plumber, freeing the scream caught in his throat. The ghostly monarch laughed, "Surprise, Luigi! It's-a me, King Boo! That old coot had me locked up tight in his lab, but guess what? I. GOT. OUT!" A distinct hint of mania could be heard in his voice, his grin wide as ever. "I was lucky enough to meet the hotel owner, and she busted me out! Pretty lucky, huh? Anyway, I didn't think you'd actually show up here. I was ready, though, just in case." King Boo stretched out the word "just," giving it a moment or two. "In fact, my vengeance is nearly complete! What do I _mean_ by "vengeance?" Glad you asked!" Like that, his grin became a scowl. "I'm trapping you and everyone in your vacation party... in frames!" He was practically eating up Luigi's fear, his voice taking a turn for the mocking, "Awww, there there, Luigi, it'll all be over soon. It's time for a family reunion! BOO-YA!"

King Boo gestured to a set of paintings, which made it clear what'd happened to Luigi's friends. The plumber tried to reach for them, only for the picture frames to disappear in a flash of light. King Boo laughed, "Take THAT!"

He continued on, "Oh, and there's one more frame, of course. I saved it especially for you! Stay right there and put on your best terrified face, Luigi! This is game over!"

With a beam of light, an ornate-looking frame materialized, its canvas opening into a swirling vortex of light. Luigi stumbled back, before turning heel and sprinting. He knew King Boo wasn't far behind, in fact, he could hear the ghostly king slam obstacles out of his way, obstacles that Luigi had to weave around if he wished to make it out of the ordeal a free man.

Unfortunately, you can't outmaneuver a wall.

Luigi looked frantically between King Boo and the laundry chute, which appeared to be his only escape. He hyperventilated, trying desperately to calm his own breathing as King Boo loomed ever closer. Was he really going to do this..?

Yes. Yes he was. 

Luigi threw open the hatch to the laundry chute, climbing inside in what was a last-ditch attempt to escape the spectral monarch. He knew the fall would hurt, he didn't care.

He heard a series of sickening snapping noises, along with sharp pains, before the world finally went dark.

\------

Steward tried to stop thinking about it.

Keyword, tried.

No matter how busy the bellhop kept himself, guilt seeped its way into his thoughts, poisoning his stream of consciousness. Steward had tried sleeping it off, earlier, only to experience some kind of guilt-induced nightmare. The dream may have faded, but his emotions hadn't. Curse him and his stupid heart. He mulled over his dull task, still trying to keep his mind off things when he heard the door shut.

Uh-oh.

That door was closed from the get-go, right?

Steward turned around slowly and hesitantly, immediately filling with fear when he saw Luigi. He'd escaped? How? Why? The illusion fading should've meant they were in the clear! Steward screamed, which, in turn, caused Luigi to not only scream but shine his flashlight in Stewards face. Steward covered his eyes, wincing from the brightness of the beam.

The both of them remained like that for a minute or so, until Luigi slowly and shakily moved the flashlight, it's beam no longer in Steward's face. Steward slowly lowered his hands from his face, no longer needing to protect his eyes from the light.

Silence. Steward attempted to straighten out his tail, which had bent out of shape after he was scared out of his wits by Luigi. It was completely ineffective, much to his chagrin. This went on for a bit until Luigi spoke up.

"Uh, hello?"

Steward's attention snapped to the plumber. He slowly backed away, only to bump into his luggage cart. After realizing what it was, he hid behind it, shaking like a leaf. There was yet another verbal stalemate that was, once again, broken by Luigi.

"You.. you know I'm not gonna hurt you, right?"

"...You're not?"

Luigi was, for lack of a better word, quite surprised by the question. Sure, he wouldn't be too shocked if he had some kind of reputation among ghosts, but this was somewhat saddening. "Of course not!" He responded, "I'm not exactly armed. Even then, why would I hurt you, anyway? It's not like you've done anything to me." Steward had to keep himself from cringing.

"Well, actually... there's, uh, there have been a few things." The bellhop stammered. "I..." he took in a deep breath and sighed, his voice not much more than a mumble dripping with shame. "I helped kidnap your brother. I was in on it, I helped keep up the ruse, and I hated every second of it. I hated every second of it and I still did nothing. I'm sorry." Steward braced for the worst after confessing to all that, not quite able to look Luigi in the eye. He had expected quite a few things, an outburst, yelling, some kind of angry response.

He hadn't expected Luigi to roll with it.

"Well, you obviously regret your life- er, afterlife choices. So, I have a proposition!"

"... Huh?"

"I'm lost, alone, and most of all, terrified. I'm assuming you've got a good lay of the place, and I could really use your help. So, what do you say?" Luigi extended a hand, smiling. Steward hesitated for a moment, just a moment, before shaking the plumber's hand.

"I'll do it."

Luigi immediately brightened at the response. "Yahoo!" He pumped his fist in the air, a dorky grin on his face, "Alright, first things first, we need to find a few things. Then, I gotta get back to my room and get changed out of my pajamas. After that, we find E. Gadd." He explained.

Steward tilted his head, "What sort of things are we looking for, sir?"

"Well, first I need to find the Poltergust, then-"

"Woah, woah, hold on!!" Steward interjected, his voice rising an octave out of sheer panic, "What exactly are you gonna use that for?!"

"Relax." Said Luigi, waving a hand, "I'm not gonna use it on any of you guys. Shroom Scouts honor." To emphasize his point, he gave Steward the Shroom Scouts salute, a serious look on his face that was more adorable than anything. Steward shook his head, still uneasy.

"If you promise, I guess I have to trust you." He responded.

"Alright, good." Said Luigi, "This will only work if we do just that. We gotta trust each other... I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry." He shook his head, "Where should we look first?"

"Well, sir, I'd recommend checking the professor's car first."

Luigi smiled, giving Steward fingerguns, "Good idea!"

As he walked toward the car, a stray thought entered his head. "Say, Steward." He turned to look at the spectre in question, "By any chance, were you the bellhop?"

It seemed the question caught Steward off guard, "Oh! Uh, yeah. That's me! I was the bellhop."

Luigi nodded, "I know it was part of a ruse to capture me and all, but I have to admit, your service was _excellent._ " 

"Well- I, uh- I, thanks! Thanks a lot!"

"It's no problem!" He waved his hand dismissively, "Say, I don't think I got your name. What exactly should I call you, anyhow?"

"Steward, sir. And you would be Luigi?"

Luigi squinted his eyes, "How do you know that?"

"The guestbook, sir." Steward explained, "Plus, Miss Gravely said your name about a billion times during the emergency staff meeting."

"Oh. That makes a lot of sense, sorry." Luigi responded, chuckling sheepishly. "Anyway, let's take a look at what we have- oh."

The front compartment of E. Gadd's car was rattling, which certainly wasn't a good sign. Luigi screwed his eyes shut, hesitantly reaching out to open the thing.

Needless to say, he was pleasantly surprised when Polterpup bounded out of the car. He let out a giggle as the spectral canine bounded at him, knocking him over. "Hiya boy!" Luigi chirped, petting the dog on the head. "Is there something important in there?" Polterpup yapped in return, before turning attention to Steward. Polterpup immediately bounded toward the bellhop, startling him.

Steward yelped as the dog jumped up onto him, licking his face. Once he processed what exactly was happening, he quickly calmed down, gleefully petting Polterpup. "Lovely dog you've got, sir! What breed is it?"

"I think he's a silver retriever. I named him Polterpup!" Luigi replied, "He's real friendly."

"You can say that again. Reminds me of Bailey."

Luigi tilted his head, curious, "Bailey?"

"Oh! Uh, Bailey was my dog. Back when I wasn't, y'know, dead." Steward explained, "She was real sweet."

Luigi smiled, "That's nice."

"Tell me about it! Baily was more or less the best part of my childhood." He responded, smiling. "But, anyway, where were we?"

"Looking for the Poltergust." Stated Luigi, who peered into the compartment of the professor's car. He immediately grinned when he was met with exactly what he was looking for, azure eyes sparking with childlike glee. Gingerly, Luigi picked up the Poltergust, reading the model name.

Poltergust-G00, eh? Seemed neat.

He put his arms through the straps, adjusting how the vacuum rested on his back and settling it into a comfortable position with a satisfied smile. He gripped the handle of the thing like it was an extension of his own limb, and, unable to contain his excitement, began gleefully flapping his arms. "Woohoo! Now, this is what I'm talking about! This thing can pick up treasure, unlock strobulb locks, and clean your house in a snap!"

Steward offered the green-clad plumber a bit of polite applause, though he still kept watch of the Poltergust-G00 with nervous gaze. "What next, sir?"

"Next?" Luigi began.

"Next, we find and rescue Professor E. Gadd." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, this is now the work on my profile with the highest word count. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making callbacks to the prolouge!


	4. It's Hard To Tell If Things Are Looking Up Or Down, Hopefully Up, But Who Knows.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Steward squinted in the light of the elevator, thoughts racing along in his head like usual, one thing seemed to speak louder than all the rest.
> 
> "Miss Gravely's gonna have my head for this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "this bad boy can fit so much Luigi abuse in it" - Snazzychevrolet, May 18, 2020
> 
> Heyyyyyy gamers! Im hittin yall with another chapter of ASITSMTN, and on my birthday, even! Yep, I'm now 15! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter, be sure to leave a comment!"

As Steward squinted in the light of the elevator, thoughts racing along in his head like usual, one thing seemed to speak louder than all the rest.

"Miss Gravely's gonna have my head for this."

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing!" He responded. "Just thinking out loud. Anyway, I'll insert the elevator buttons."

Steward grabbed two buttons from his pocket. As he moved to screw one in, it wobbled, before flat out drifting out of his hand and screwing itself in. The other button did the same. "Huh, didn't know it'd do that."

Luigi shrugged, "Not much time to dwell on it. Where should we go now?" 

Steward shrugged, "The lobby seems like a good place to start."

Luigi nodded, "Floor one, right?" After a nod of affirmation from Steward, he pressed the button. "So, watch any good T.V lately?" Sure, Luigi was on edge to the point that anything even mildly startling could send him three feet in the air, but he might as well make small talk.

"Hmmm, well there's Whatever Went On With Android Steve, but if you mean recent cartoons, Simon Galaxy, for sure."

Luigi's expression brightened, azure eyes sparkling with passion and cheer, "You watch that show too?!" He asked excitedly, "Who's your favorite?"

"I have to say Tourmaline!" He responded with a smile, "She's everyone's favorite corn chip from outer space!"

"Tourmaline's my favorite too! We stan one corn chip."

"We stan one corn chip." Steward echoed in agreement. Soon after, the elevator gave a semi-melodic * _ding!_ *, signifying that they had reached the lobby. Luigi stepped out first, taking a look around. He was in some sort of aside to the main part of the lobby, blue chairs surrounded an antique-looking coffee table that carried a morbid decorative display with a skull as its centerpiece.

"... Creepy."

"Well, it is a haunted hotel, sir."

Luigi made his way to the main room, almost tripping over a bump in the faded mulberry carpet.

The art deco floor in the main room had changed, bearing a scary face instead of an abstract pattern. However, looking up, Luigi found a much more horrifying sight.

Portraits of him and his friends hung high, their faces marked out by X's in bold, black paint. Honestly, it shouldn't have been as scary as it was, but something about the sheer malice the gesture carried left Luigi a shivering mess. "Tha-..." the word petered off awkwardly, "That's... certainly something."

"What's seems to be the problem, sir- oh." He eyed the vicious display. "Yeah, I can see why that'd be disturbing. Don't let them get to you, sir. We'll rescue your brother in no time."

"I- Ok, yeah." Luigi took a deep breath in, exhaling shakily, "We can do this."

He heard the sound of drilling.

Luigi turned around, eyes widening in horror as he witnessed a small group of goobs drilling the front door shut. They chattered incoherently among each other, boarding down the door as they talked. Luigi saw polterpup bound up to one of them, only to be met with a "shoo!" and some laughter. One of the goobs tossed their drill to another, before turning to leave. The ghost did a double-take upon seeing Luigi and Steward, floating up to the both of them with a questioning look on their face. Steward spoke up.

"Heya, Nat." The goob made a few chattering noises, "Oh, Luigi? Yeah, I'm taking him to Miss Gravely." He winked at Luigi, making sure the plumber knew it was an act, "Yeah, I'm surprised at how easy it was, too. Anyways, I better get going. See you 'round, Nat!" The goob seemed content with how the conversation went, phasing down through the floor.

"That..." Luigi's voice shook, "That was _i_ _ncredible._ "

"Wait, really? Well, I- Uh, thank you!" Steward stammered, "I really do appreciate it, sir."

"No problem," Luigi's tone swiftly took a turn for the melancholy, "... We're trapped."

"I'm sorry, wha-"

"They boarded up the doors. We're trapped, we can't leave."

Steward frowned, "Sir, are you okay?"

"I-" Luigi didn't even get to finish his sentence before emotion took over. He wailed, not really caring who saw or heard. **_"I'm not okay!! I'm trapped in a haunted hotel and my brother's been kidnapped and stuffed in a painting and I- ... I- ..."_** The end of his sentence was replaced by more wailing.

Steward put a hand on Luigi's shoulder in an attempt at a reassuring gesture, "Hey," he said, softening his tone, "Don't worry. We'll get your brother back, I'm sure. It's ok. We're gonna be ok." The plumber just sighed in response, drying his eyes.

"I know, I'm just..." Scared? Distraught? Confused? Feeling hopeless? "Fine. I'll be fine." He paused, "Where do we go now?"

"I'd say we should try searching the mezzanine since it's closest by. The door is locked, there's a key behind the front desk."

Luigi nodded, "alright." He walked up to the front desk, examining it for a moment. There didn't seem to be any way to open it, unless...

He pressed a button on the poltergust, unleashing a blast of air that forced open an entryway to the front desk... and sent Luigi about a foot into the air. "Woah!"

He remained airborne for a few seconds, only to land flat on his face. Steward swiftly floated up to him, worry apparent in his expression. "Are you alright, sir?!" Luigi groaned, lifting his head up off the ground while taking care to cradle it in his hands.

"I'm alright, just.." He made a hissing noise, wincing in pain, "That's gonna be sore later."

"If you want me to go get some ice for that, I'd be glad to."

He shook his head, "I'll be alright, maybe later." With that, Luigi staggered to his feet. He rubbed his head, stepping behind the front desk. The plumber rummaged around a bit, before noticing a glint of gold in the dim light of the hotel lobby. The key! "Aha!" Luigi smiled, picking it up, "Here we go! This is the key to the mezzanine, right?"

"Righty-o, sir!" Steward responded, internally smacking himself for how dumb that sounded. "The doors right up this staircase, follow me." With that, Steward floated off, Luigi not far behind.

The stairs felt strangely steep to Luigi. He wasn't sure if it was just something to do with him or if they were like this even before the illusion broke. Whatever it was, it left him panting by the time he got all the way up the stairs.

Steward gave Luigi a sympathetic grin, "The stairs always gave me trouble, too." Ok, well at least it wasn't just- hold on.

"What was that?"

The bellhop gave Luigi a confused look, before realizing what exactly he meant, "Oh! Yeah, this hotel's been around for a long time, we've only started catering to ghosts recently. I worked here before then." He explained, "Now, should we get going, sir?"

"Yeah, let's." Luigi insert the key into the keyhole, but before he could turn it in seemed to disappear _into_ the keyhole, causing the plumber to blink a bit in surprise. "Huh." The glow inside the keyhole faded, and the door opened with a satisfying * _Click!_ * Luigi opened the door gingerly, closing his eyes as it creaked. He found a bit of comfort in the noise. He ended up opening his eyes to far less comforting sight. E. Gadd had been trapped in a painting like the rest of his friends.

"Huh, so that's where she put him," muttered Steward, as he floated to catch up with Luigi. The plumber had dashed toward the painting. The spectre watched as Luigi worriedly placed his hands on the painting, stammering.

"Wha-? Oh, no. Nonononono! I don't have my Darklight, how am I gonna-? ..This is bad." Almost as if on cue, Polterpup barreled into the room. He yapped, tugging on a bit of fabric from the leg of Luigi's pajama pants in his mouth. The dog clearly wanted to show him something. "Hmm? What is it, boy?" After getting his attention, Polterpup padded to the door on the left, barking at it before phasing through it. Luigi turned to Steward, "Looks like he wants us to go in there." Steward just looked confused. How did this dog know exactly where to go? Still, he didn't think Luigi would have any answers to that, so he just followed.

As they stepped into the mezzanine hallway, Polterpup yapped cheerfully, leading the duo to a metal door, which did not budge when Luigi attempted to open it. He sighed, "We'll need to find the key."

"What are we looking for, anyway?" Steward asked.

"My Darklight, I'm assuming it's somewhere in the room behind that door. It looks kinda like this." Luigi replied, tapping the strobulb with his finger.

A look of inspiration crossed Steward's face. "Could you maybe stay here, sir? I promise I'll be right back." Luigi nodded, and the bellhop phased through the metal door, returning a few minutes later with the Darklight, "Here you go, sir! Saves us a bit of time."

Luigi looked delighted as he attached the Darklight to his poltergust, shining it aimlessly to test it out. "Ta-da!" He turned to Steward, still beaming, "Thanks a lot! Now, we need to go rescue E. Gadd." Steward, nodded, following Luigi as he walked to the door.

Luigi stepped up to Gadd's portrait, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and activating the Darklight. The colors were pretty, but if he looked at them for too long they'd hurt his eyes. The plumber only opened them when he heard a quiet thud. E. Gadd had hit the ground. "... Sorry about that."

E. Gadd carefully lifted himself up off the ground, holding a hand up to politely decline Luigi's offer for help in the endeavor. His expression brightened at the sight of the plumber, "Ah, if it isn't Luigi! You are precisely the last person I'd expect to be here. Who's the friend of yours?"

Luigi tilted his head, "You aren't surprised that he's a ghost?"

"I could see out of the painting, my boy. He seems trustworthy enough, though, he's not exactly an ally I thought we'd gain..." he shook his head, "Never mind all that. Now's not the time for catching up. We need to get out of here."

"We can't leave yet!" Luigi protested, "Mario's somewhere in here, so are my friends! I can't abandon them!!" A look of realization crossed E. Gadd's face, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I should've been able to guess that. Lucky for you both, I, Professor Elvin Gadd, have an idea! First things first, we'll all need to get back to my car. I'm guessing you took the Poltergust G-00 from it, so you'll know where it is." He explained, "Now, to the underground parking garage, posthaste!" Luigi gave E. Gadd a thumbs up, conversing with him as the trio made their way to the elevator.

"So, about the ghost, his name is Steward! He's the bellhop," said Luigi, "I'm glad to have him on my side, it's a lot better than going through all this alone."

Gadd turned to look at the spectre, "Steward, eh? It's a pleasure to have you on the team, sonny!"

"Watch out, he's never gonna stop asking you questions."

"I don't ask that many questions!" E. Gadd responded, chuckling.

"Do too."

The banter continued until they reached the elevator, Steward pressing the button labeled B1 after they were all inside. Gadd examined the panel of buttons, missing all but 1, 5, and B1. "I'm guessing there are other ghosts with the rest of the buttons?"

"You'd be correct, sir!" The bellhop answered, "All the others have one button each, I was the only one with two." E. Gadd simply nodded in response to that. Then, the elevator dinged, and they stepped out into the basement.

"I have something in my car I'd like to show you both, one moment." Gadd ambled to his car, smiling at Polterpup (the dog was residing in the passenger seat, cheerful as ever) before turning to face Luigi and Steward, "I am thrilled to present a Professor Elvin Gadd original!" He said, whacking the side of his car with his elbow, opening some sort of compartment. He then reached into the compartment, pulling out... something. Steward stared at it for a good few seconds, trying to puzzle out what it was. Lucky for him, Luigi asked the question.

"It looks neat and all, but what does it do?"

"Well, I'll show you, my boy!" The professor responded, placing the thing on the ground, and pressing a button. He stepped back as the indents of it glowed a bright green, ushering for the others to do the same. Soon, there was a flash, and standing before the trio was a small laboratory. Luigi's jaw dropped. "Inside, if you will!"

Steward had to drag Luigi, who was unresponsive with awe, into the lab. Once inside, the plumber finally managed to regain attention. "Da- I mean Gadd, this is all really impressive!" E. Gadd chuckled, climbing into a chair.

"Welcome to the lab, you two!" He said, "This is another one of my brilliant inventions- a portable lab! It's safe, sturdy, and even air-conditioned!"

"I can tell, sir!" Said Steward, who was trying to hide the fact that he was shivering.

"I always knew I'd need this one day, good thing I brought it along, right?"

Luigi nodded, "Say, what are you doing in this hotel, anyway?"

"Hmm, what am I doing here? To make a long story short, my boy, I was tricked. I got an invite from someone claiming to own this hotel, someone saying they had a precious collection of ghosts from all over the world living there! Now, you know no self-respecting ghost researcher would pass up an opportunity like that! But, when I arrived, they captured me and.. well, you can guess."

"I can do more than guess," Luigi snarked, "I got chased into a laundry chute by King Boo."

"Yeowch." Just hearing the sentence made E. Gadd wince. "Now, where were we...? Oh, right!" He handed Luigi an odd-looking device, "This is the virtual boo! You and Steward can use it to contact me at any time! Now, there's something I need you to do."

"What do you need, sir?" Steward inquired.

E. Gadd handed Steward a cylindrical device, "I need you to install this in the elevator." 


	5. Colfantastic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steward looked at the device in his hand, tilting it at this angle and that, examining the finer details of it. Even as he scrutinized the thing, he couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be. “This is neat and all, sir, but what does it do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BACK AT IT AGAIN AT KRISPY KREME *falls down the stairs*
> 
> hello readers whom I so adore! Megs Pepsi is BACK, and bringing you another chapter! I wanna give an epic gamer shoutout to my friends (hey grace if ur reading this mwah ur the best, same for you buzzasteria I'm sorry I cant remember ur name), they're the reason I'm able to keep joyously writing this fic when logically I should not have been able to get this far. 
> 
> I'm proud to say this chapter has that good Chambrea Content! she was soooo fun to write, yall have no idea. with that said, please enjoy the latest chapter of ASITSMTN!

Steward looked at the device in his hand, tilting it at this angle and that, examining the finer details of it. Even as he scrutinized the thing, he couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be. “This is neat and all, sir, but what does it do?” E. Gadd dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. 

“It’s an elevator tracker,” he clarified, “as for what it does… I’ll tell you later. Now, go install that thing, posthaste!” 

Steward nodded, “Can do, sir!” he turned to Luigi, “I guess this means we should get going?” The plumber nodded. 

“Yeah, let’s. This hotel won’t explore itself, right?” 

“It certainly won’t, sir.” Steward replied, floating out of the lab. Luigi wasn’t slow to follow, stepping out into the dim light of the underground parking garage. 

It was a short trek to the elevator, the duo exchanging very few words between each other. Steward was the first one inside, holding the tracker at the ready. “Alright, let’s just-” the small extension on the device popped upward, and the elevator tracker began to emit steam. He let out a yelp, hastily installing the thing. “Ok, done and done. Now what?” The bellhop quickly had his question answered when a screen display emerged from the tracker, showing the layout of the basement. Meanwhile, a smaller screen, resting atop the main monitor, displayed the letters “B1.” The picture on the smaller display switched to Professor E. Gadd.

“Good to see you two! It seems the installation was a success!” he said, smiling. “Now then, as to what this device actually does, it extracts map data about the floors from the elevator. Then, it takes all that data and displays it on the monitor! Isn’t that great?” Luigi nodded. 

“Saying I’m impressed would be an understatement. That’s really neat!” 

“Well, that’s not all this thing can do! The device links with the Virtual Boo!” Gadd exclaimed, “The map data is automatically sent to the VB, so you can view the map anywhere, anytime! If you open the map from the VB menu, you check out an even more detailed version of it. Don’t go forgetting about it, ok? Now, there’s something else we need to do, Luigi. I’d like to run a quick test of the Virtual Boo’s communication system. Open up the VB’s menu and select ‘E. Gadd hotline,’ okay?” 

“You got it!” Luigi put the Virtual Boo to his face, using a few buttons on the side to select the menu option he needed. Soon, the headache-inducing red display gave him choppy video footage of E. Gadd, and a grainy voice came through the speaker.

“Testing… testing… one, two, three… This is E. Gadd, resident genius! Am I coming through loud and clear?” 

“Yep!” Luigi replied, “I can hear you just fine!”

“Fantastic! It appears that the VB’s communication system is working perfectly; that means you can contact me anytime you need to! If either of you feels the need to talk to me, just do exactly what you did for the test! I may be able to offer advice in a tough situation! You can also check out the log using the very same system. Now, I have a job for you.”

“Alright, what do you need?” 

“Well, you’re both able to take the elevator up to floor five, right? I was staying in a room on that floor. There’s a briefcase in my room, could you two find it for me?”

“Sure thing!” Luigi replied, smiling, “I’d be happy to help!” 

“Thank you!” said E. Gadd, adding a mumbled “Kind as ever, I see.” under his breath. “My room number was… Oh, blast, I don’t think I can recall it. You’ll have to find the room on your own, I’m afraid. Now, I want both of you to stay safe out there. Good luck!”

Luigi brought the VB away from his face, rubbing his eyes. He was going to need some sort of headache medication if he kept using that thing. “We gotta head to floor five,” Luigi began, “Da- Gadd needs us to retrieve his briefcase.”

Steward nodded, pressing the button on the elevator and staring at the information panel. They were going to the R.I.P Suites. 

One thing the spectre noticed is that Luigi, who was perfectly calm in the elevator, seemed terrified as he stepped out into the R.I.P Suites, shining his flashlight around the room with a shaky hand. Steward frowned worriedly, “Is everything alright, sir?”

Luigi jolted, taking a few seconds to process that everything was fine and relax, “I’ll be ok. I’m just scared, is all.”

“If you insist, sir.” was all that Steward said in response. Luigi sighed, pulling his phone from his pocket. He knew there wouldn’t be anything new, but the plumber hoped that it’d give him some sense of comfort. 

… surprisingly enough, there were a few Eris notifications. He opened the app, wondering what, or who, it could be. 

YAHOO: its a trap 

YAHOO: i dunno if youre awake but the second you see this

YAHOO: run 

YAHOO: please 

YAHOO: king boos here and he wants to put us in paintings 

YAHOO: get away before he finds you

YAHOO: you can come back for me later i dont care just

YAHOO: get outta here

YAHOO: youre the best brother ever ok i want you t 

… oh.

Luigi could feel tears sting his eyes and slip silently down his cheeks. He took in a deep, hitched breath in an attempt to calm himself. Now was not the time for crying, Luigi told himself, converting his sorrow into determination, burning bright and red-hot. Mario would be ok, he’d make sure of that. Drying his eyes, Luigi turned to look at Steward, who was preoccupied with something or other, “Let’s go find the briefcase.” The bellhop nodded, floating down the hallway. Luigi followed, feeling a bit like he was forgetting something.

It wasn’t long before it came to him, “Hey, Steward? I’ll be right back.” he said, before beginning to backtrack down the L-shaped stretch of hallway.

Steward watched as his partner made his way down the hall, confusion etched into his features. Where exactly was he going? The bellhop followed, quietly watching as Luigi hoisted his Poltergust over the couch blocking the path to the next stretch of hallway, before hopping the thing and reequipping the Poltergust. Steward squinted, still following as Luigi opened the door to his room. That was when Steward stopped, he didn’t want to intrude, after all. A few minutes later, Luigi left the room, having changed out of his pajamas and into his usual attire. “Oh, hey, Steward!” he said, smiling. “Wasn’t expecting you to catch up with me. Since we’re here, do you wanna check the other rooms on this side of the floor?” The bellhop just nodded, following as Luigi entered the room right next to his. 

There was a lot on Steward’s mind. Mainly, he wondered when Luigi would change his mind. When he’d decide Steward was (as per usual) a burden, and turn the Poltergust against him. The plumber wouldn’t be able to go on forever without learning the truth. Steward was as useless as they came. He felt it was a miracle he’d made it this far at all, but it was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? 

“Steward?” 

The bellhop snapped out of his haze, blinking a few times. “Hmm?”

“Are you ok, you looked pretty upset.”

“I’m fine, sir. I was just… thinking. That’s all.” 

Luigi frowned, “If you insist.” the green-clad hero turned away from his ghostly pal, “Well, let’s move on, then. I want to scope out the rooms on this side of the hall.” He said, opening the door to the room adjacent to his. 502, according to the plate above the doorframe. 

_ ‘This was Mario’s room,’  _ Luigi thought, his heart sinking as he looked around at all the furniture tossed about. King Boo had practically torn the room apart looking for him. An overturned armchair was lying in the corner of the room, and pizza boxes were strewn about the place. Luigi sighed, making his way to the bathroom door and entering, hands shaking as he turned the doorknob. Nothing seemed too out of place, aside from a cellphone lying on the ground, its red case preventing the screen from cracking. Luigi picked it up, pocketing it.

He hoped Mario would be glad to have it back.

Luigi quietly stepped out of the bathroom, a somber air following him as he went. It was as if he had his own little stormcloud raining down on his head. “I…” he sighed, “I think we should search the other hallway,” he said, not meeting Steward’s face when he spoke. Steward nodded. Luigi had sounded very upset, they could come back later if they didn’t find the suitcase.

“Just follow my lead, Sir! I think I know which room to check next.” The spectre led Luigi down the hall, to room 508. They opened the door and entered the room. 

Neither of them was expecting someone to beat them to it. 

Steward hastily shoved Luigi under a dresser, getting back into position a split-second before the maid turned to face them. She gave Steward a particularly unimpressed look. “Gately.” 

“Colfantazma.” 

Luigi stared worriedly from his hiding spot as a few moments passed in silence until the maid started… laughing? Yep, she was laughing alright. So was Steward. 

“Good Grambi, I can’t act serious when you’re staring me in the face like that, Gately. I just can’t.”

“Bold words, Chambrea. You don’t even  _ need _ to be serious around me, we’ve been friends for years!” 

Chambrea waved her hand, “I know, I know! It’s just, with the situation and all… maybe we should be? I dunno.” Steward just shrugged as she prattled on, “I mean, you’re safe, and so am I, and I’m happy about that, It’s a good thing! But, Gravely warned us about that green guy. Plus, I think we were supposed to stick to our assigned floors unless ordered otherwise, like how Gravely wants me to bring her this suitcase, I’ll have to go to the Master Suite for that. So, what brings you here, anyway?” 

“Well, about the whole, err, ‘situation,’ as Miss Gravely put it…” 

“Yeah? What about it?” it seemed as if something clicked in Chambrea’s mind and her eyes narrowed. “Gately,” she began, “You didn’t do something stupid, did you?” 

  
  


Steward immediately began stammering, his face going a bright shade of blue, more akin to what his eyes looked like. “Well, I- uh- I- It wasn’t  _ that  _ stupid, ok?!” he said defensively. Chambrea pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“You worry me. Anyway, I’m not mad, I promise. Just tell me what you did.”

The bellhop sighed in defeat, ushering for Luigi to come out. He gave Steward a thumbs-up, crawling out from under the dresser. Chambrea took a good, long look at him, before turning back to Steward.

“Gately,” she began, “What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” 

Steward laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck, “Well, it’s a bit of a long story… but, I can explain! I swear! Just promise me you won’t tell Miss Gravely!” Chambrea sighed but nodded, the look on her face leaning far stronger into concern than irritation. 

“I’m gonna want an explanation, Gately. And it better be good.”

Steward nodded, “Alright, well, so, you know, uh, you know Luigi? The guy we were supposed to capture and or incapacitate? He’s, well, he isn’t, he isn’t that bad of a guy! O-on the contrary, he’s pretty nice! He, uh, he hasn’t captured a single ghost! I’d know, since, well, I uh, I’ve kinda sorta been helping him since the beginning. So, uh, yeah!” He’d fidgeted with his hands throughout the exposition dump, clearly extremely nervous. Chambrea frowned, her lip twitching. Steward started to worry his reasoning wasn’t good enough. 

“I believe you, Gately, I do. But…” something inside her broke, and she pulled Steward into a hug. “You’re going in over your head.” when the maid spoke, she sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. “I don’t want you to end up getting hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, Brea, I-” 

“No.” she cut him off, “You always say that. Even when you were about to…” she shook her head, “You got hurt. Badly. I don’t want it to happen again.” 

“That was over a year ago.” 

“And you haven’t changed! Working yourself like that, it’s what- it’s-” she didn’t finish her thought, “And you still keep doing this to yourself!” tears slipped down her face. Slow and thick, like lavender honey. “I can’t watch you crash again, Gately.” Chambrea’s voice was barely above a whisper, “I just can’t.” 

Steward paused, taken aback by the outburst, before tightly returning the hug Chambrea had given him, “I know I have a long way to go, but, I’ll try my best. For real this time.” She looked at him, wiping tears from her eyes. Her lips curled up in a gentle smile.

Chambrea had a feeling that for once, he truly meant it.

The maid turned to Luigi, a smile still on her face. “Since I can trust you, let me know if he’s not taking proper breaks. I’ll get the both of you some rest even if I have to drag you to it myself.” She laughed, it was warm, yet subtly bitter, like morning coffee full of milk and sugar. “Now, what is it you’re after?” 

“The elevator button.” He responded, “I need to make my way through this hotel if I want to rescue my friends.” Chambrea nodded in response.

“I can do that,” she said, “But I’ll need a favor from you and Gately, first. I at least gotta make it look like I  _ tried _ to slow you down, you know?” Luigi nodded. 

“What do you need from us, anyway?”

Chambrea shrugged, “Nothing too serious. Just help me tidy up the rooms on this side of the floor. In return, you get my button, and I’ll gather up your friends’ luggage so you can take it somewhere safe.”

“Sounds good to me!” Luigi smiled before the two of them were interrupted by notifications on their phone.

NO TRAVELFREE: Hey!!! It’s Steward!!! I made a group chat, so anyone Luigi’s spoken to can keep in touch without Miss Gravely noticing!

The two of them smiled, clicking the link to join. 

\------ 

Welcome to the server, Stan Tourmaline, we hope you brought cake! 

Mom Time joined the party.

NO TRAVELFREE: Hi guys!!!!!

Mom Time: did you seriously name this server “SNITCH TO HELLEN AND I’LL PEE YOUR PANTS” 

NO TRAVELFREE: ……....Is yes the wrong answer?

Mom Time: *AUDIBLE SIGH* 

Mom Time: bruh moment

Stan Tourmaline: Iiiiiiiiiiiiii’m gonna ignore the server name and just ask if this is how we’ll keep in touch while cleaning

NO TRAVELFREE: It’s basically how we’ll keep in touch with everyone for the whole metaphorical ride, sir. 

NO TRAVELFREE: But for now, yes!! This is how we’ll keep in touch while helping Chambrea clean.

Stan Tourmaline: Ok!

Stan Tourmaline: Alrighty lets get started

\------

“Okay,” Chambrea began, “It’s time to get cleaning. There’s a cleaning cart with supplies right outside, we can keep in touch with each other using a voice chat.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Luigi said. “So, how do you wanna go about this?”

Chambrea rested her hand on her chin for a moment, “Hmmm… Got it! We’ll all tackle one room, and if any of us need help, we’ll say in the voice chat.” She explained, “That way, we can all help each other with the more daunting stuff. I’ll take 505, Gately can clean up 506, which leaves you...” she pointed at Luigi “...with 504.” Luigi jokingly saluted Chambrea, earning a laugh from her. “Hey, your name is Luigi, right?” 

“Yeah, it is. Why do you ask?”

“Can I call you Mr. L? I mean, I don’t know your last name and last names are sorta my thing so I thought, hey, it’s close enou-”

“No! I mean, sorry. Just call me Luigi, please.” Chambrea nodded. 

“Understood, Luigi. I wanted to check first. It’s alright if you’re not keen on that one. Anyway, I’m gonna be in 505 if you need me. Talk to you both soon!” she waved at them both before phasing through the wall. 

“I suppose this is where we split up, sir.” Steward said, “If I’m to be truthful, that encounter went better than expected. I thought it would take far more convincing to get Chambrea on our side, guess I stand corrected.” He chuckled, the sound almost had a jitter to it. “Well, I’ll be seeing you.” and with that, he was gone, having phased through the wall like Chambrea. 

Luigi sighed, questions from what he’d seen reeling around in his mind. He was certain Steward was hiding  _ something, _ but what? Maybe with time and a pinch of luck, he’d learn. For now, he had work to do.

He stepped out into the hall and entered room 504. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey. you. did you enjoy this? if you did, please scream about it in the comments!! your feedback is what drives me to write! i love hearing what you guys think about my stuff! anyway, hope you all have a fabulous day, and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	6. Cleanup Crew And Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again yawning, Luigi took his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and scrunching up his face as he was blasted by his extremely bright home screen (A picture of he and Peasley in a bright, sunny meadow).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIIIIIII!!!!!!! Im back w another chapter!! and this one has gooigi!!! trust me, we'll be seeing a lot more of the guy in the future, you're gonna love him. as always, if you enjoyed this, please please please leave a comment! your feedback keeps me going!!

“Huh, this must’ve been Blue’s room.” 

  
  


Luigi looked around the disarrayed hotel room, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Why did he feel so tired all of a sudden? He could see Blue’s favorite pair of headphones lying on a tea table; Luigi hoped Blue was doing okay without them, the toad tended to blare loud music through them in stressful situations. Luigi picked up the headphones gingerly, setting them near Blue’s luggage. That’s when he felt his phone vibrate. 

Once again yawning, Luigi took his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and scrunching up his face as he was blasted by his extremely bright home screen (A picture of he and Peasley in a bright, sunny meadow). The plumber opened up the source of the notification, Eris. Looks like Steward and Chambrea had just started the voice chat. Luigi toned down the brightness setting on his cellphone, clicked on the button to join the voice chat, and set the phone on the tea table. Almost immediately, Steward’s voice came from the speaker. It was grainy and slightly distorted, but the brittle tone in the voice was unmistakable.

“Oh, Luigi’s here! Hello, sir!” 

“Sup’, Greenie!” 

Luigi chuckled, he did quite like the nickname “Greenie,” “Hey guys!” 

Chambrea spoke again, “How are you?” 

“Pretty good, I’m about to get started on cleaning. Anything specific I should do?”

“The rooms are already pretty tidy. Do you think you could get rid of all the weird Halloween shop decor? It’s super tacky.”

Luigi responded with a calm “You got it,” stretching his arms and getting to work.

He looked around the room, quickly taking note of the cheap, scary-faced balloons scattered around. The plumber steeled his nerves, knowing he’d have to pop them all. Tonight was a bad night for loud noises. After grabbing a trash bag from the cleaning cart in the hall, he got started, flinching as he popped each balloon and placed its deflated remains in the trash. After he finished, he let out a sigh, deciding to gather up Blue’s luggage. Luigi made sure to be extra careful while handling Blue’s headphones, gingerly putting them into an open suitcase, along with the sheet music scattered on the floor. He couldn’t help but scan over the unfinished compositions as he put them away. Blue was a bit of a prodigy, wasn’t he? Luigi had been practicing the double bass for years, and nothing he wrote for it came close to this. Zipping up the suitcase, he made a mental note to ask Blue about his music more frequently. Now, what to do next? He supposed he could make the bed. 

Luigi removed the blankets and pillows from the bed, and after inspecting the sheets decided that they were fine as-is. The plumber began to put the blankets back onto the bed with meticulous precision. The task was both easier than he expected, but surprisingly draining. Then, he fluffed the pillows. Not a difficult task with the pent-up frustration he had. Placing them on the bed, Luigi stepped back to admire his handiwork. He chuckled. All those years of cleaning up after Mario paid off, didn’t they? 

… He missed Mario.

He missed the jokes, he missed the banter, he missed Mario.

Luigi frowned, looking around the room and tidying anything that looked out of place. After that, he turned his focus to the voice chat, “I think I’ve got everything cleaned up. Anyone need help?”

“As far as I know, we’re both fine, since Gately just finished.. I’ll be there in a second to check the room. Thanks for your help!” Chambrea responded.

“No problem!” Luigi said, waiting for Chambrea to arrive. As promised, she had arrived pretty quickly, Luigi was almost certain it’d been less than a minute. She gave him a quick greeting before looking around the room, squinting as she examined everything. 

“Well, it looks like everything’s in place. Nice going, Greenie!” Chambrea smiled, and so did Luigi. Chambrea had a pleasant, silvery voice, capable of brightening up the mood of almost any situation. “Want me to get this luggage back to the elevator?”

“Sure thing!” He responded, “Thanks, by the way!” 

“Not a problem,” Chambrea said, shrugging before picking up Blue’s luggage. “I’m just holding up my end of the deal. Anyway, I’ll take this to the elevator, hand you the button, and then you and Gately can keep going.” Luigi gave her a thumbs-up. Chambrea tossed him the elevator button, and with that, she was gone, taking the luggage with her. Luigi decided the best course of action would be regrouping with Steward, so he stepped out the door, smiling. The plumber felt a wave of calm wash over him. The general situation he’d found himself in was a dire one indeed, but Luigi felt that it would be okay, at least for the time being. 

What the rest of this hotel had in store was anybody’s guess. 

Luigi’s train of thought was derailed when he bumped right into Steward, who quickly took a turn for the apologetic, to the point that he almost seemed panicked. Luigi reassured him that it was alright before they both made their way to the elevator. True to her word, Chambrea had brought all the luggage there, including E. Gadd’s briefcase.

“I suppose we should be heading back to the lab, shouldn’t we, sir?” Steward said. Luigi nodded in agreement and clicked the button for the basement. As the elevator lowered, he looked at his ghostly partner in this whole mess, wondering what he was thinking about. Steward  _ did _ seem worried, after all. 

  1. Gadd was certainly delighted to see the two, “Glad to see you boys back in one piece!” he joked, “In all honesty, welcome back! You’ve got my briefcase, right?” Steward nodded, handing it to him with a smile.



“Right here, sir! Chambrea was happy to help us out!”   
  
“Wonderful to hear!” E. Gadd chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “This!” he exclaimed, gesturing toward the suitcase, “This is what I wanted! The time has come to put him to the test!” the professor opened his briefcase, smiling as a green glow emanated from the inside. He grabbed a jar filled with some sort of slimy substance. “You’re looking at the latest invention from the brilliant mind of Professor E. Gadd! I give you... Gooigi!” 

...Blank stares. Neither Luigi nor Steward knew how to react.   
  
“Da- Gadd, it’s neat and all, but how is it gonna help?” Luigi asked, tilting his head confusedly.   
  
“Hm? How’s he going to help?” E. Gadd chuckled, waving a hand. “Now, now, take it easy. You’ll see.” he paused, “Here, I’m going to attach this to the Poltergust. Could you turn around for a moment?” Luigi nodded, pivoting on the ball of his foot. He could feel the weight in the Poltergust G-00 shift a few times, before finally settling. E. Gadd gave him the all-clear, and he turned back around. “Ok, it’s all set up. What say we give him a test run? Luigi, follow me outside!” Luigi complied. The professor led him to a certain spot in the garage, “Now, I’m going to drop a cage on you. You aren’t in danger, but I didn’t want to startle you.”    
  
“You’re gonna wha-” Before Luigi could finish, E. Gadd pressed a button and the cage dropped. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey!!”   
  
“I warned you. Anyway, there should be a button to release Gooigi from his tank, press it.” Luigi nodded, pressing the button. A green, gooey version of himself emerged from the Poltergust, making a triumphant noise before immediately going limp. “Now, shift your mind into Gooigi. Imagine yourself seeing from his eyes and piloting his body. Can you do that for me?”   
  
“I can try…” Luigi responded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. The plumber imagined himself as one with Gooigi, letting himself relax and letting his mind drift. He could feel his conscious slip out of his body.    
  
When he opened his eyes, everything was tinted green.    
  
Luigi looked at his hands, they were green, and not just because of the tint on his vision, they truly were green. It’s only when he spied his body, it’s head hanging limp that it all clicked into place. He did it, he was piloting Gooigi. E. Gadd clapped his hands together, smiling. “Wonderful, my boy! Now, try slipping through the bars. With you controlling Gooigi, it should be a piece of cake!” Luigi did just that, pushing himself straight through the bars with ease. It was a surreal feeling, letting the cold metal pass through him like that, but he’d felt worse. He’d felt  _ much _ worse.    
  
“Okay, now that you’re out of the cage, you’ll need to use the Poltergust on that valve to lift it, afterward you can switch back, leave, and recall Gooigi with the same button you used to release him. Got it?” Luigi gave the professor a thumbs-up, “Splendid! Just be sure to dodge that puddle, Gooigi melts in water.” The plumber nodded.    
  
Luigi stepped around the puddle on the ground, reaching the valve. Using the Poltergust, he was able to make the valve turn and the cage lift. After a bit of concentrating, he blinked back to his own body stepping out of the cage’s way and recalling Gooigi. He flinched when the cage hit the ground again. “Did I do good?” he asked.    
  
“You did extremely well, my boy!” E. Gadd responded, smiling. “You’re a natural! I’d say it’s time for you to press onward, your friends won’t save themselves you know!” Luigi nodded.    
  
“I’ll go get Steward, then we’ll head out.”    
  
\------   
  
“So,” Luigi began, letting the button for floor 3 screw itself in, “What’s on this floor?”    
  
“The hotel shops, sir. Kruller’s probably gonna be the one with the button. Luckily, he’s another good friend of mine.” Luigi smiled and nodded.    
  
“Huh, pretty nice to hear.”    
  
He had a good feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there you have it! sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the others, hopefully chapter 6 will make up for it. have a lovely day!


	7. Let's Go To The Maul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark bags had made their home under Luigi’s eyes, his hair was a mess and his face was starting to bruise from when it was acquainted with the floor of the hotel lobby. He frowned. Honestly, he looked like he should take a break, and sooner than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sorry about the mini-hiatus! Adhd is a drag, lmao. But!! Im back!! with a new chapter!! I wanna give a special thanks to my friends, Grace and Bee! Grace basically watched me write the entire chapter and Bee (tailashake on this very website, check em out!) helped me write one of this chapters trickier scenes. 
> 
> Before we begin: mild emetophobia tw, this chapter mentions vomit! It doesn't go into much detail, but keep that in mind and if you're emetophobic please tread with caution!
> 
> with that all said, enjoy the latest chapter, and don't forget to comment!

Luigi’s first impression of the hotel shops was a sweeping wave of cool, fluorescent nostalgia. He shut his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. He wasn’t even in the actual shops and the place already so much reminded him of that mall cop movie his brother loved. A light chuckle escaped him as he surveyed the area. The entrance had the same art deco feel as the hotel’s lobby, yet it was somehow more inviting. More familiar. More welcoming. It managed to feel like it was greeting Luigi with open arms rather than presenting itself as a hostile, unwelcoming environment. He liked it. He liked it a lot. Luigi started to walk toward the revolving door only to be stopped by Steward. “It’s locked, sir. I can get the key if you’d like.” Luigi shook his head.    
  
“I’ll get it, don’t worry. I’d appreciate it if you told me where it is, though.”    
  
Steward nodded, “Men’s restroom, rightmost stall.” Luigi parroted the instructions, which got him a thumbs-up, so off he went to retrieve the key. He didn’t vocalize the  _ many _ questions he had about the hiding place.

Luigi pushed open the door to the bathroom, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. Separating from Steward had given the plumber a sudden wave of jitters. He tried to push open the stall on the right, but it was stuck. Luigi cursed under his breath. Luckily, he had the right tool for the job. Luigi took careful aim with the suction shot, firing a plunger directly at the stall door. Then, he gripped the rope dangling off with his Poltergust, tugging until it was taut before yanking on the thing with full force. The stall door flew open, and Luigi stumbled into the wall. The impact was light, but it still managed to make his head swim. Was he that tired? After giving himself some time to regain composure, Luigi grabbed the key from the stall, still deeply confused by its placement. As he walked toward the door back to the main entrance, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, prompting him to take a closer look.    
  
… Yikes.   
  
Dark bags had made their home under Luigi’s eyes, his hair was a mess and his face was starting to bruise from when it was acquainted with the floor of the hotel lobby. He frowned. Honestly, he looked like he should take a break, and sooner than later. But he couldn’t stop, not when there was so much to do. Not when he still needed to rescue his brother. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “I can do this.” He opened the door and stepped out into the main entrance.    
  
Steward smiled upon seeing the key in Luigi’s hands, “I take that it went well, sir?”   
  
Luigi nodded. “Yep. Let’s get going.” Steward gave the plumber a thumbs-up, phasing through the wall and to the main shop area. Luigi put the key into the revolving door, stepping inside. The thing spun around violently, making Luigi’s head twirl. After what felt like forever (in reality, only about ten seconds) Luigi was flung out of the door and onto the ground. Hard. He could practically feel the breath get knocked out of him as he hit the floor, and was certain that the impact was going to make the bruise on his face worse. He tried to get up but the room was spinning like a teacup ride. Just raising his head made him feel sick. There was the metallic jingling of a key ring and suddenly Luigi could feel himself being hastily shoved into a corner.    
  
“Sorry about that,” Steward whispered. Luigi could feel the tension drop. Thank Grambi it was only Steward. “I’m gonna go talk to Kruller, you’ll have to get the key for his office.” The plumber was too dizzy to respond.   
  
“Hey, Steward!” There was an unfamiliar voice. That must’ve been Kruller. “What’re you doing here? I didn’t take you as the type to go against what the boss says.”   
  
“Ah, well, that’s the thing. May we discuss this further in your office?”    
  
“Sure? I mean, I don’t see why not, but I don’t see why, either.”   
  
“Privacy, plain and simple.”    
  
“Yeah, makes sense. Sorry about having the critical thinking skills of like, a rock.”    
  
Steward laughed, “Hey, don’t worry! I’m an idiot too. Heck, I think everyone here is a self-proclaimed idiot.”   
  
“You do make a good point. Anyway, should we get going?”    
  
“Yeah, let’s.” The conversation slowly faded out.   
  
Luigi cradled his head in his hands, shaking. The room still felt like it was twirling. He tried to stand up, immediately regretting the decision as he grabbed the nearest trashcan, throwing up into it. The bile stung his throat and left a bitter taste in his mouth. Hopefully, he could find a water fountain sooner than later. He put his hand on a wall to steady himself and got ready to face the task of climbing up the still escalator.    
  
Using the handrail as a crutch to lean against, Luigi took step after shaky step. He would occasionally have to pause, gripping the handrail with one hand and holding his head with the other. He made a low whimpering sound, concluding that this was an  _ awful  _ idea. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any turning back now. His legs shook and eventually dropped out as he continued his ascent, leaving him propping himself up with his knees and thoroughly shaken. Tears slipped down his face, he’d have to crawl. Luigi gripped the stairs with his hands, dragging himself up the escalator and trying to ignore how much the room was spinning. When he finally reached the top, he collapsed. The effort needed had left him exhausted and out of breath on top of all the dizziness. He wept softly in a mix of pride and despair, not moving an inch until the room stopped spinning and the nausea worked its way out of his system. After that, he stood up, wiping tears from his eyes. He had to keep moving. For Mario. Noticing a glistening key down the hall, he walked towards it, picking it up. The bow of the key was red and shaped like a diamond. “Huh.” Luigi pocketed the key before a flash of movement caught his eye. He turned his attention to the window of Kruller’s office.    
  
Kruller and Steward looked to be engaged in a particularly lively conversation, though, Luigi couldn’t make out anything significant. The walls muffled the sound. At one point, it was clear Steward had noticed him. Kruller almost spotted Luigi as well, but the plumber had quickly ducked down and avoided detection. Now, he just needed to figure out what the diamond key went to. It likely wasn’t the door to the office, as it had a star-shaped padlock. He’d have to take a look around. 

As he walked through the hotel shops, Luigi had an epiphany. All of the storefronts had card suits on them. The barbershop had clubs, the gift shop had spades, the clothing store had hearts, and the jewelry shop had… diamonds! Luigi immediately rushed up to the storefront, pulling out the key to see if his hunch had any validity. He pressed his face up to the window, squinting. Inside the jewelry shop was a cash register with a diamond-shaped lock. Luigi grinned, he knew it! Now, to figure out how to get inside. He pondered for a bit before a lightbulb went off in his head, Gooigi could slip through bars! So, with the press of a button and a bit of concentration, he began piloting Gooigi. Luigi looked at the key in his green, gooey hand. What if...? 

Luigi shoved the key into his torso.

With that question answered, he slipped into the jewelry store and unlocked the register. Inside was the heart key. He grabbed it and turned around to leave when he heard two people talking behind him.

“I tell ya’, Nat. The boss lady’s got everyone runnin’ round like headless chickens! - Oi! Thas’ the guy!”    
  
“Are you daft, Kamal? That’s clearly not Luigi, he’s too green!”

“Ohhh. Well, why does he look so much like Luigi, eh?”    
  
“Must be a decoy. Matters bugger all, though. Steward’s taking the genuine article to Hellen.”

“I geddit now! Should we head off? We don’t gotta reason to stick around, I’m hungry, and the mezzanine has dumb good bread.” 

“I don’t see why not.” Luigi watched silently as they left, losing all tension once they were out of the room. Thank Grambi they left so quickly. Now to return to the task at hand. Luigi stared at the key in his hand, the bow was heart-shaped. It matched the motif of the clothing store, so, if everything followed the same pattern of logic, that was where the heart key went. 

Luigi put the key in his torso and slipped out of the jewelry store before making his way to the clothes shop. He let out a gooey sounding sigh, hoping this wouldn’t be as panic-inducing. As he slipped into the store, he couldn’t see any cash register, but he did spot a Strobulb lock on the wall, maybe it was hiding something important? Luigi used the Strobulb on the lock, noting that the flashlight on Gooigi’s Poltergust had no lightbulb. Odd. Maybe Gooigi was bioluminescent? 

When Luigi flashed the Strobulb lock, the wall shifted, revealing a hidden set of shelves, one of them containing a large sum of coins. Jackpot! Well, that was what he thought. Until a small looking Goob stuck their head out of the pile. And another, and another, and another, until there was a group of fifteen or so Mini Goobs all chattering excitedly amongst each other. One of them floated out of the pile, wearing a necklace of what looked to be various trinkets. They began speaking, “I’ve got real exciting news, gang! I was movin’ around in the walls, lookin’ for rooms with cool trinkets to bring back to my hidden lair, when I heard somethin’ on this very floor!” A chorus of curious voices rang out at the unfinished announcement, and once they’d all quieted down, the Mini Goob with the necklace began to speak again, “Big Bro is here! He’s busy right now, but he’s not gonna be busy forever! We’re gonna see him!” Various whoops and cheers resounded from the Mini Goobs, they were all ecstatic. It seemed Luigi would be able to wait for them to leave, until…    
  
“Hey, wait a minute! That wasn’t there before!”   
  
… Oh no. 

Luigi stood as still as a statue as the Mini Goobs surrounded him, all of them chattering excitedly. The one with the necklace seemed to be examining him closely. “You’re right, this wasn’t here before! What do you guys think it is?” a few answers rang out from the small crowd.    
  
“Target practice dummy!”    
  
“Jello statue!”    
  
“Weird mannequin!”   
  
“Space alien!”   
  
“I dunno!”   
  
“I HAVE AN IDEA!” One yelled, “I think it’s a giant fruit gummy!”

The necklace Goob squinted at Luigi, “You could be right, Victoria. But just to be sure…” They proceeded to lick Luigi’s hat, “... Ew! It tastes like that bitter stuff Big Bro drinks, like, all the time!”   
  
“You mean coffee?”    
  
“Whatever it’s called, it’s gross.”   
  
“Well, what’re we gonna do now? All we know is it doesn’t move and it’s gross.”   
  
“Leeeeet’s leave it alone. We can find more fun stuff to do, anyway!” The Mini Goobs all seemed to agree with this, as they scattered in various directions, presumably to find something with more entertainment value. Once they were all gone, Luigi let out a bit of laughter he had stifled throughout the encounter. Well, it was more of a gurgling noise, since he didn’t have proper vocal cords.    
  
Shortly after, Luigi began to hear a very faint buzzing noise.    
  
He stopped dead in his tracks. What  _ was _ that? Why did it sound like it was coming from inside his head? Was it a “him” problem, or did it have something to do with Gooigi? At least he could answer the last one. Focusing, Luigi shifted back into his own body. No buzzing sound. It was something to do with Gooigi. He sighed. There was no avoiding the use of Gooigi, at least not around this floor. He’d have to ask E. Gadd about it later. 

The other two shops went by just as smoothly, with the ghosts inhabiting them seemingly too dense to realize that Gooigi was an extension of Luigi and not an effigy. Oh well, it made things easier for him. Soon enough, he’d earned himself the star key. He made a celebratory noise, gleefully sliding out of the barbershop only to immediately be doused in water. Oh, dear. 

Luigi didn’t know what he was expecting, truthfully, but it certainly wasn’t for the sensation to be painless. Unfortunately, “painless” was not a synonym to “without discomfort.” The feeling enveloped him, small drops of goo slid off of himself and onto the floor. The water eating away at his form left a pins-and-needles feeling wherever it made contact. He couldn’t see, and it felt like he was drowning in himself. He could barely think, and any train of thought that was some sort of coherent boiled down to wishing the sensation would end. It dragged on for what felt like an eternity, until…

Luigi was back in his body, gasping for air. Gooigi rested in the tank on the back of the Poltergust, like everything he just went through didn’t actually happen and it was just some fever dream he had standing on his own two feet. His entire body trembled and he couldn’t even move without taking a few deep breaths beforehand. He needed to rest, correction, he wanted to rest. He  _ needed _ to rescue Mario. 

Grabbing the star key, Luigi made his way up the defunct escalator. There was a startling clang, and the escalator started moving backward. No big deal..? Luigi just continued to walk upward, except the escalator got faster, and faster, and faster. Soon, he was sprinting just to keep himself from falling over. Unfortunately, one misstep later and he was flat on his face, practically flying down an escalator and landing  _ hard. _ He whimpered, getting his face off the ground. A few small, red droplets hit the floor. His nose was bleeding.  _ Great. _

Luigi sighed, resigned. He’d have to find some tissues later, for now, he needed a way around the breakneck speed escalators. But, as if Grambi was trying to hinder him, a large, red ghost rose from the escalators, glaring daggers at him. 

Luigi knew exactly where this was going.

“Oh no, nonononononononono! I do  _ not _ wanna get pummeled!  _ Please _ leave me alone, I don’t mean you any harm!” the Hammer just growled. “I-I mean it, I swear! I’m just here to rescue my brother, I mean it!”    
  
The Hammer responded incoherently, still glaring, which earned a confused look from Luigi. They repeated themself. No dice. The Hammer rolled their eyes, signing with their hands.    
  
“Liar.” 

“Wh-Liar?” If Luigi wasn’t exhausted to the core he would’ve been offended, “What do you mean liar?”    
  
“You have a Poltergust, and you are wanted.”    
  
“I’ve seen the posters, but, I promise you, I haven’t used this thing on a single ghost! Just ask Steward! … Ok, maybe don’t do that right away, but... “ 

The Hammer sighed, “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. If I find out you’re lying, you’ll be our newest staff member.” Luigi felt a chill go down his spine.   
  
“Y-you got it!”

The Hammer nodded, “Do you need to use the escalator?”    
  
“I, uh, yeah, actually!” Upon hearing this, the Hammer picked Luigi up, dropping him unceremoniously on the upper floor so he wouldn’t have to worry about the escalator knocking his teeth out.

That could’ve been worse. 

Luigi stepped down the hall, key in hand. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves before unlocking the padlock and knocking on the door. He heard Steward and Kruller respond with “Come in!” at the same time, so he did, gingerly opening the door and poking his head in. Kruller stared at him blankly.    
  
“Steward, I know you explained everything to me like, five minutes ago, but still. What. The. Heck.” Steward just sighed. 

Luigi waved sheepishly, “Err, hello! It’s nice to meet you! Kruller, right? Steward told me.” Kruller nodded.    
  
“I - yeah. That - that would be me. Nice to meet you too.” he offered a hand for a handshake, which Luigi accepted, smiling. “Steward says you- you’re after the button. Now, I can’t just give it to you, but I can- uh- I can ‘challenge’ you for it.” he paused, “You, me, Ultra Tournament 12. You win, you get the button.” Luigi grinned, narrowing his eyes. 

“You’re on.”

“Great, I’ll get everything set up, just know you’re going to lose.”

\------

“AW, C’MON!”

Luigi laughed in triumph as Kruller hung his head in defeat, “That’s why you don’t screw with Cherry!”    
  
“Cherry’s a bottom tier fighter, man! How did you  _ do _ that?” 

“Been maining her since I started playing Ultra Tournament with my brother! If you get good enough, you can throw the tier list out the window!”    
  
“Dude, you  _ have _ to give me pointers sometime. You beat me in like, less than a minute, and I’m the best Ultra Tournament player in the hotel!” Luigi chuckled sheepishly.    
  
“Oh, I’m sure I’m not  _ that _ good-” 

“Don’t sell yourself short, man! You absolutely are!” Kruller chuckled, “You know, I was low-key  _ terrified _ of you before all this, The Boss Lady made you sound like the devil incarnate, but honestly? You’re super cool!”    
  
“Aw, thanks! You’re pretty cool, too!” Luigi paused, “You got Eris? There’s a groupchat for all the ghosts I’ve talked to.” Kruller nodded, giving Luigi his username. Luigi quickly added him to the groupchat. 

\------

Hello, ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER, leave your coat at the door. 

ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: Hey guys! 

Mom Time: Heyyyyyyy!    
  
NO TRAVELFREE: Hi!!!

Stan Tourmaline: Welcome to the cool kids club, ignore the name.    
  
ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: I am NOT going to ignore the name. Steward why    
  
NO TRAVELFREE: Because I’m a menace to society. :3 

ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: Actually your baby    
  
NO TRAVELFREE: I’m both, fool. 

Mom Time: Okay, break it up!/j    
  
Mom Time: So, what floor’s next?    
  
ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: SHOOT I FORGOT I NEED TO GIVE LUIGI THE BUTTON    
  
Mom Time: Kruller forgetful moments    
  
ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: Ok i gave him the button now we’re cool and good

Stan Tourmaline: Ok so steward says we’re going to the mozzarella or whatever im not even gonna try to spell it 

NO TRAVELFREE: Mezzanine, sir. 

Stan Tourmaline: Ohhhhhhh    
  
Stan Tourmaline: Either way we’ll see you once we’re done!! Byebye! 

Mom Time: Good luck!

  
Stan Tourmaline has gone offline.    
NO TRAVELFREE has gone offline.    
  
Mom Time: They’re gonna need the luck.    
  
ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: Oh, totally.


	8. Intermission: In Frames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short intermission so we can see how everyone's coping with the whole trapped in a painting thing.

This had been going on for way too long. Red fidgeted around in the cramped space seemingly inside the painting. An invisible wall separated him from the outside world. If only it were soundproof. The ghost assigned to keep his painting away from Luigi had been playing piano for Grambi-knows how long, and Red wanted it to  _ end. _ It was nice at first, but now it was getting grating and the lack of silence was going to drive him up a wall sooner or later. He needed to take some form of action. Red pounded on the outer wall of his canvas prison, “Hey! Hey, you!” The pianist flinched, hitting a sour note. 

**“What. Do. You. Want?”** He was glaring daggers at Red, who’s irritated stare immediately turned into a look of fear. Any grievances he would’ve aired were thrown out the window. “That’s what I thought.” Red made a weak noise of protest before crossing his arms and sulking. This sucked.

… He missed Blue and Yellow. 

\------

Blue had curled up on himself, shivering. Every clap of thunder made him flinch and whimper. He’d always been terrified of thunderstorms, and being trapped inside a painting made it so, so much worse.    
  
He could barely make out his surroundings with how dark it was. He tried to gather information on where he was using the split-second flashes of lightning, silently cursing his pitiful night vision. From what he could gather, he was in some kind of museum, with fossil displays around the area. Prehistory museum, perhaps? It would’ve been fascinating if he wasn’t scared out of his mind. Blue closed his eyes, trying to rest.

His eyes shot open when he heard a growl from behind him. 

\------

“And why do  _ you _ care, anyway? You guys kidnapped me!” 

Yellow was, for lack of a better term, feeling pretty awful. Not only was he stuck in a cramped painting on an ocean that was  _ somehow inside a hotel, _ but a literal pirate shark was trying to give him tips for dealing with seasickness. Said pirate shark was also a ghost, and keeping him captive. Grambi, could this night get any stranger?    
  
“Dude, calm down. I know how cruddy seasickness is. I’m just trying to help.” 

“That’s another thing! You don’t even sound like a pirate! You sound like you make animated storytime videos about your time working at a chain sandwich shop!” 

“... oddly specific, but okay.” Yellow just crossed his arms, refusing to look at the shark. While he wouldn’t admit it, the shark frightened him somewhat. “You got a name? I’m Fishook.” Huh. Shark had a name. 

“... Yellow.” Was the mumbled response that Fishook got in return. “It’s not a nickname, so don’t ask.” 

“You got it. Anything you’re a fan of?”    
  
“... Cooking.” 

“Cooking’s pretty cool! I, ah, I don’t know how to make much other than instant noodles.”    
  
“... I  _ guess _ I could tell you some simple stuff.”

“That’d be great! Thanks, little guy!” Success! Fishook had managed to put Yellow in a marginally better mood, just like he planned. 

Maybe this would go some sort of smoothly. 

\-------

Mario was not having any of this. None whatsoever. He was, in short, furious, and the only thing keeping him from absolutely going off was Cappy. He didn’t want to scare the little guy. 

The Bonneter let out a distressed cry, pressing himself against the invisible barrier that kept both him and Mario trapped in the painting, "Let us out! I am twelve or fourteen years old, I do  _ not _ need this!” He was already distressed as is, clearly trying to somehow will himself out of the painting (impossible in every sense of the word, but trying never hurt anyone). This was ten times worse than being held captive by that stupid bird, and from the unfortunately familiar chuckle he was hearing, it wasn’t going to get any better.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Cappy looked up, quivering. Standing right in front of the painting was Hellen Gravely, the hotel owner. “Scared? Good, you should be.” She laughed before turning her attention to Mario. “You know, I almost pity you.” 

Mario glared daggers at the woman, “What the hell are you talking about?” 

“Your  _ ‘precious princess,’ _ of course.” She put air quotes around the two words, smirking. Mario’s glare barely faltered, but there was a glisten of hurt forming in his eyes. Hellen continued, “You couldn’t save her. Isn’t that what you always do?” 

Mario blinked, “I-” 

“Face it, you’re a failure. You couldn’t save her.” Ouch. 

“But- I- I didn’t…” Mario’s eyes held a look, not unlike that of a wounded animal. For a few moments, it looked like he’d burst into tears right then and there. Then, he  _ snapped. _

He banged his fists on the barrier keeping him in, his hands flaming. There was nothing but rage in his eyes.  **_“YOU’RE LUCKY I’M STUCK IN HERE, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING-! I SWEAR, I’M GONNA BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND WHEN I-”_ ** He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a quiet whimpering noise, his shoulders dropped and the flames he’d ignited quickly extinguished. He slowly turned around, coming face to face with a positively terrified Cappy. Mario’s emotions all shifted to regret  _ very _ quickly. “Cappy, no- I- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get that angry. You don’t need to worry, and I’m not mad at you. I promise.” Cappy sniffled, small tears forming in his eyes as he immediately rushed up to hug Mario. Mario wrapped an arm around Cappy, “Hey, don’t worry. We’re gonna be okay.” Cappy looked up at him.    
  
“Uncle L’s gonna save us, right?”    
  
Ah.    
  
Truthfully, Mario wasn’t certain of what became of Luigi, but he wasn’t going to tell that to Cappy, “I’d bet on it, he’s done it before.” 

Mario sighed, he couldn’t help but wonder what became of Luigi.


	9. Too Many Cooks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luigi and Steward go to the mezzanine, and we see a glorious three seconds of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about how short this chapter is! truth be told I just. Don't like soulffle

**_“ORDER UP!”_ **

Luigi was starting to wonder why he agreed to this. 

There he was, in a stuffy disguise, bussing tables during a rush. At least the customers were nice. He stared at an order ticket that was literally for three baguettes and nothing else, presumably from the pair of ghosts in the hotel shops. He sighed, bringing the ticket to the kitchen and hoping his handwriting was still legible at this point. The plumber set the last remaining plates he was carrying down on a table before letting out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t done yet but it was nice to have a couple of seconds to get his cool back. And, after a deep breath or two, he was back in action, taking orders like a champ. Luigi couldn’t help but be proud of himself, there weren’t many other waiters on staff, after all. 

The shift was over soon enough, yet, it felt like it’d been forever and an instant all at once. He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead, sighing in relief; finally, he was done. He pulled out his phone, checking the groupchat.

\------

ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: Nono you don’t understand I don’t LIKE travelfree I just think- oh hey Luigi’s on

Stan Tourmaline: Hi gusy! 

Stan Tourmaline: Guys* 

ULTRATOURNAMENTMASTER: gusy 

Mom Time: gusy    
  
Stan Tourmaline: IM DOING MY BEST OK 

Stan Tourmaline: Anyways! How are you guys?    
  
Mom Time: I’m pretty good! Bored tho 

Mom Time: You?

Stan Tourmaline: Tired but good! Just finished doing favors for Soulfflé so I should get the button now hopefully    
  
Mom Time: Alright!! Good luck!

\------

Luigi pocketed his phone, a smile on his face. Man, these people were fun to talk to. He quietly tapped his foot on the ground, looking around the mezzanine. Soulfflé exited the kitchen, wordlessly handing Luigi the elevator button before leaving.    
  
Well, that was underwhelming. Luigi twirled the button around in his hands, smiling softly. He pocketed the thing before going to find Steward. 

  
  


Steward, meanwhile, was having the time of his afterlife. He had a cue stick in hand and a smug look on his face, “Any other competitors, or am I too good for you guys to beat?” Another Oozer raised their hand, “Look’s like we’ve still got takers. Grab a stick and get over here.” The Oozer did just that, grinning eagerly. “Don’t think I’ve seen you before, what’s your name?”    
  
“Molly! You’re Steward, right?” 

The bellhop nodded, “That’s my name, don’t wear it out. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Molly!” Molly shook his hand, and after a bit of discussion, the game had begun. 

Steward was good, really good. Molly couldn’t tell if his shots were impulsive or if he was just calculating them that fast. Meanwhile, Molly’s shots were slow, she thought hard about every single one. “Say, Steward! How’d you get so good at this?”    
  
“Learned from my cousin.” Steward replied nonchalantly, firing another shot. “He was a really great guy, unlike everyone else in my family.” He laughed a bit. 

“Huh, neat! Who’s your cousin?”

Another nonchalant shot and Steward had won the game. “Slim Bankshot.”

Molly almost dropped her cue stick, fumbling with it for a bit before regaining her composure. “Hold on, you’re telling me  _ the _ Slim Bankshot is  _ your cousin?!” _

“Mhm! One of the best people I knew.” He responded, “Now, solids or stripes?” Molly picked stripes, and the game began. … Well, it almost did. 

Luigi hesitantly pressed the door to the rec room open, hoping Steward would be there. He’d been looking for the bellhop for quite some time now. “Hello? Is anyone…” Steward was certainly there, but unfortunately, so were three Oozers, who were staring right at him. Luigi chuckled nervously, “Am I interrupting something..?” He was met with an eight-ball to the face. Apparently, the answer was yes. 

Letting out a startled cry, Luigi scrambled to cover his face as more billiard balls were thrown at him. He fumbled for a bit, finally stumbling out the door and falling flat on his back (after oh-so-graciously running into it a few times.). Luigi staggered to his feet, gingerly touching his face. He was almost certain that eight-ball to the face would mean a black eye later on. Ouch. Part of him wanted to curl up and cry, but he had to keep going, he had to. Mario was counting on him, after all. 

Luigi began making his way toward the elevator, struggling to keep his eyes open. He was so, so tired, but he couldn’t rest. Not while Mario was still trapped. He would wait for Steward in the elevator. Seemed a good plan, so he waited. Not for long, fortunately. Steward was peeking his head through the elevator soon enough. “Ah, there you are, sir! Shall we get out of here?” Luigi nodded. 

“We should go.” He paused, “Huh. It feels like nothing happened on this floor. I mean, I know for sure that’s not true, but it all just blurred by.” 

Steward hazarded a guess, “Maybe you were on autopilot? I mean, when I get stressed, I tune everything out sometimes, sir.” 

Luigi nodded, “That could be it. You don’t have to call me sir, by the way.”

“...I don’t?” 

“Yeah! You can just use my name if you’d like!” 

“Oh- I-“ Steward stammered, “My apologies.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Luigi smiled. “It’s really not a big deal, to tell you the truth. I understand where you’re coming from, anyway.” 

“Ah, well then.” Another pause. “... Thank you, Luigi.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this update wasn't dissapointing! i've lost interest in lm3 lately but I really do wanna finish this fic!!

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo, what a ride that was. I really hope you enjoyed this! As always, comments are really appreciated, even if it's just an F in the chat for Steward.
> 
> Thanks for reading and have a nice day!


End file.
